Apparatus and method for managing a network

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to monitor first and second access devices of a communications network for an alarm where the first and second access devices are connected to each other by a fiber optic cable and where the first and second access devices are capable of transmitting media content to a communications device of a user, identify hierarchical cable relationships associated with the fiber optic cable, monitor network elements of the communications network that are associated with the hierarchical cable relationships for other alarms, and determine a fiber cut of the fiber optic cable based at least in part on the alarm of the monitored first and second access devices and the other alarms of the monitored network elements. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems andmore specifically to an apparatus and method for managing a network.

BACKGROUND

Communication networks can be subject to various undesired conditionsthat can have an adverse impact on customers, such as disablingconnections. The cause of such undesired conditions can vary, includingequipment failure. Providing alerts associated with particular equipmentmay give a service provider a tool with which to monitor events in thenetwork. These alerts can result in false detections of equipmentfailure, such as where a busy network experiencing latency triggers analert for a particular piece of equipment. These alerts can also begenerated for multiple devices that are being affected by a singledevice or component failure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-4 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal interacting withat least one among the communication systems of FIGS. 1-4;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication systems of FIGS. 1-4;

FIGS. 7-8 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovides media services;

FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method operating inportions of the communication systems of FIGS. 1-4 and 7-8; and

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a computer-readablestorage medium. The storage medium can include computer instructions formonitoring first and second access devices of an Internet ProtocolTelevision (IPTV) network for an alarm where the first and second accessdevices are connected to each other by a fiber optic strand of amulti-strand conduit and where the first and second access devices arecapable of transmitting media content received from a fiber optic ringto a set top box of a user, identifying hierarchical cable relationshipsassociated with the multi-strand conduit and the fiber optic ring,monitoring network elements of the IPTV network that are associated withthe hierarchical cable relationships for other alarms, determining afailure of other fiber optic strands of the multi-strand conduit basedon the monitored network elements, and determining a fiber cut of thefiber optic strand based at least in part on the alarm of the monitoredfirst and second access devices and the determined failure of the otherfiber optic strands.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a server havinga controller to monitor a digital subscriber line access multiplexer(DSLAM) and an Ethernet switch of a communications network for an alarmwhere the DSLAM and the Ethernet switch are connected to each other by afiber optic strand of a multi-strand conduit and where the DSLAM and theEthernet switch are capable of transmitting media content to a set topbox of a user, identify hierarchical cable relationships associated withthe multi-strand conduit, monitor network elements of the communicationsnetwork that are associated with the hierarchical cable relationshipsfor other alarms, and determine a fiber cut in the fiber optic strandbased at least in part on the alarm of the monitored DSLAM and Ethernetswitch and the other alarms of the monitored network elements.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a serverhaving a controller to monitor first and second access devices of acommunications network for an alarm where the first and second accessdevices are connected to each other by a fiber optic strand of amulti-strand conduit and where the first and second access devices arecapable of transmitting media content received from a fiber ring to acommunications device of a user, identify hierarchical cablerelationships associated with the multi-strand conduit and the fiberring, monitor network elements of the communications network that areassociated with the hierarchical cable relationships for other alarms,and determine a fiber cut in the fiber optic strand based at least inpart on the alarm of the monitored first and second access devices andthe other alarms of the monitored network elements.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a serverhaving a controller to monitor first and second access devices of acommunications network for an alarm where the first and second accessdevices are connected to each other by a fiber optic cable and where thefirst and second access devices are capable of transmitting mediacontent to a communications device of a user, identify hierarchicalcable relationships associated with the fiber optic cable, monitornetwork elements of the communications network that are associated withthe hierarchical cable relationships for other alarms, and determine afiber cut of the fiber optic cable based at least in part on the alarmof the monitored first and second access devices and the other alarms ofthe monitored network elements.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a methodincluding monitoring first and second access devices of a communicationsnetwork for an alarm where the first and second access devices areconnected to each other by a fiber optic strand of a multi-strandconduit and where the first and second access devices are capable oftransmitting media content received from a fiber optic ring to acommunications device of a user, identifying hierarchical cablerelationships associated with the multi-strand conduit and the fiberoptic ring, monitoring network elements of the communications networkthat are associated with the hierarchical cable relationships for otheralarms, and determining a fiber cut of the fiber optic strand based atleast in part on the alarm of the monitored first and second accessdevices and the other alarms of the monitored network elements.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 100 for delivering media content. The communication system 100can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) broadcast mediasystem. In a typical IPTV infrastructure, there is a super head-endoffice (SHO) with at least one super headend office server (SHS) whichreceives national media programs from satellite and/or media serversfrom service providers of multimedia broadcast channels. In the presentcontext, media programs can represent audio content, moving imagecontent such as videos, still image content, and/or combinationsthereof. The SHS server forwards IP packets associated with the mediacontent to video head-end servers (VHS) via a network of aggregationpoints such as video head-end offices (VHO) according to a commonmulticast communication method.

The VHS then distributes multimedia broadcast programs via an accessnetwork to commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housing a gateway104 (such as a residential gateway or RG). The access network canrepresent a bank of digital subscriber line access multiplexers (DSLAMs)located in a central office or a service area interface that providebroadband services over optical links or copper twisted pairs tobuildings 102. The gateway 104 distributes broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast selections to media devices 108 such as computers ortelevision sets managed in some instances by a media controller 107(such as an infrared or RF remote control). Unicast traffic can also beexchanged between the media processors 106 and subsystems of the IPTVmedia system for services such as video-on-demand (VoD). It will beappreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the media devices108 and/or portable communication devices 116 shown in FIG. 1 can be anintegral part of the media processor 106 and can be communicativelycoupled to the gateway 104. In this particular embodiment, an integraldevice such as described can receive, respond, process and presentmulticast or unicast media content.

The IPTV media system can be coupled to one or more computing devices130 a portion of which can operate as a web server for providing portalservices over an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network 132 to fixedline media devices 108 or portable communication devices 116 by way of awireless access point 117 providing Wireless Fidelity or WiFi services,or cellular communication services (such as GSM, CDMA, UMTS, WiMAX,etc.).

A satellite broadcast television system can be used in place of the IPTVmedia system. In this embodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115can be intercepted by a satellite dish receiver 131 coupled to building102 which conveys media signals to the media processors 106. The mediareceivers 106 can be equipped with a broadband port to the ISP network132. Although not shown, the communication system 100 can also becombined or replaced with analog or digital broadcast distributionssystems such as cable TV systems.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a second communicationsystem 200 for delivering media content. Communication system 200 can beoverlaid or operably coupled with communication system 100 as anotherrepresentative embodiment of said communication system. The system 200includes a distribution switch/router system 228 at a central office218. The distribution switch/router system 228 receives video data via amulticast television stream 230 from a second distribution switch/router234 at an intermediate office 220. The multicast television stream 230includes Internet Protocol (IP) data packets addressed to a multicast IPaddress associated with a television channel. The distributionswitch/router system 228 can cache data associated with each televisionchannel received from the intermediate office 220.

The distribution switch/router system 228 also receives unicast datatraffic from the intermediate office 220 via a unicast traffic stream232. The unicast traffic stream 232 includes data packets related todevices located at a particular residence, such as the residence 202.For example, the unicast traffic stream 232 can include data trafficrelated to a digital subscriber line, a telephone line, another dataconnection, or any combination thereof. To illustrate, the unicasttraffic stream 232 can communicate data packets to and from a telephone212 associated with a subscriber at the residence 202. The telephone 212can be a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone. To furtherillustrate, the unicast traffic stream 232 can communicate data packetsto and from a personal computer 210 at the residence 202 via one or moredata routers 208. In an additional illustration, the unicast trafficstream 232 can communicate data packets to and from a set-top boxdevice, such as the set-top box devices 204, 206. The unicast trafficstream 232 can communicate data packets to and from the devices locatedat the residence 202 via one or more residential gateways 214 associatedwith the residence 202.

The distribution switch/router system 228 can send data to one or moreaccess switch/router systems 226. The access switch/router system 226can include or be included within a service area interface 216. In aparticular embodiment, the access switch/router system 226 can include aDSLAM. The access switch/router system 226 can receive data from thedistribution switch/router system 228 via a broadcast television (BTV)stream 222 and a plurality of unicast subscriber traffic streams 224.The BTV stream 222 can be used to communicate video data packetsassociated with a multicast stream.

For example, the BTV stream 222 can include a multicast virtual localarea network (VLAN) connection between the distribution switch/routersystem 228 and the access switch/router system 226. Each of theplurality of subscriber traffic streams 224 can be used to communicatesubscriber specific data packets. For example, the first subscribertraffic stream can communicate data related to a first subscriber, andthe nth subscriber traffic stream can communicate data related to an nthsubscriber. Each subscriber to the system 200 can be associated with arespective subscriber traffic stream 224. The subscriber traffic stream224 can include a subscriber VLAN connection between the distributionswitch/router system 228 and the access switch/router system 226 that isassociated with a particular set-top box device 204, 206, a particularresidence 202, a particular residential gateway 214, another deviceassociated with a subscriber, or any combination thereof.

In an illustrative embodiment, a set-top box device, such as the set-topbox device 204, receives a channel change command from an input device,such as a remoter control device. The channel change command canindicate selection of an IPTV channel. After receiving the channelchange command, the set-top box device 204 generates channel selectiondata that indicates the selection of the IPTV channel. The set-top boxdevice 204 can send the channel selection data to the accessswitch/router system 226 via the residential gateway 214. The channelselection data can include an Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)Join request. In an illustrative embodiment, the access switch/routersystem 226 can identify whether it is joined to a multicast groupassociated with the requested channel based on information in the IGMPJoin request.

If the access switch/router system 226 is not joined to the multicastgroup associated with the requested channel, the access switch/routersystem 226 can generate a multicast stream request. The multicast streamrequest can be generated by modifying the received channel selectiondata. In an illustrative embodiment, the access switch/router system 226can modify an IGMP Join request to produce a proxy IGMP Join request.The access switch/router system 226 can send the multicast streamrequest to the distribution switch/router system 228 via the BTV stream222. In response to receiving the multicast stream request, thedistribution switch/router system 228 can send a stream associated withthe requested channel to the access switch/router system 226 via the BTVstream 222.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a third communicationsystem 300 for delivering media content. Communication system 300 can beoverlaid or operably coupled with communication systems 100-200 asanother representative embodiment of said communication systems. Asshown, the system 300 can include a client facing tier 302, anapplication tier 304, an acquisition tier 306, and an operations andmanagement tier 308. Each tier 302, 304, 306, 308 is coupled to aprivate network 310, such as a network of common packet-switched routersand/or switches; to a public network 312, such as the Internet; or toboth the private network F 310 and the public network 312. For example,the client-facing tier 302 can be coupled to the private network 310.Further, the application tier 304 can be coupled to the private network310 and to the public network 312. The acquisition tier 306 can also becoupled to the private network 310 and to the public network 312.Additionally, the operations and management tier 308 can be coupled tothe public network 312.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the various tiers 302, 304, 306, 308communicate with each other via the private network 310 and the publicnetwork 312. For instance, the client-facing tier 302 can communicatewith the application tier 304 and the acquisition tier 306 via theprivate network 310. The application tier 304 can communicate with theacquisition tier 306 via the private network 310. Further, theapplication tier 304 can communicate with the acquisition tier 306 andthe operations and management tier 308 via the public network 312.Moreover, the acquisition tier 306 can communicate with the operationsand management tier 308 via the public network 312. In a particularembodiment, elements of the application tier 304, including, but notlimited to, a client gateway 350, can communicate directly with theclient-facing tier 302.

The client-facing tier 302 can communicate with user equipment via anaccess network 366, such as an IPTV access network. In an illustrativeembodiment, customer premises equipment (CPE) 314, 322 can be coupled toa local switch, router, or other device of the access network 366. Theclient-facing tier 302 can communicate with a first representativeset-top box device 316 via the first CPE 314 and with a secondrepresentative set-top box device 324 via the second CPE 322. In aparticular embodiment, the first representative set-top box device 316and the first CPE 314 can be located at a first customer premise, andthe second representative set-top box device 324 and the second CPE 322can be located at a second customer premise.

In another particular embodiment, the first representative set-top boxdevice 316 and the second representative set-top box device 324 can belocated at a single customer premise, both coupled to one of the CPE314, 322. The CPE 314, 322 can include routers, local area networkdevices, modems, such as digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, any othersuitable devices for facilitating communication between a set-top boxdevice and the access network 366, or any combination thereof.

In an illustrative embodiment, the client-facing tier 302 can be coupledto the CPE 314, 322 via fiber optic cables. In another illustrativeembodiment, the CPE 314, 322 can include DSL modems that are coupled toone or more network nodes via twisted pairs, and the client-facing tier302 can be coupled to the network nodes via fiber-optic cables. Eachset-top box device 316, 324 can process data received via the accessnetwork 366, via a common IPTV software platform.

The first set-top box device 316 can be coupled to a first externaldisplay device, such as a first television monitor 318, and the secondset-top box device 324 can be coupled to a second external displaydevice, such as a second television monitor 326. Moreover, the firstset-top box device 316 can communicate with a first remote control 320,and the second set-top box device 324 can communicate with a secondremote control 328. The set-top box devices 316, 324 can include IPTVset-top box devices; video gaming devices or consoles that are adaptedto receive IPTV content; personal computers or other computing devicesthat are adapted to emulate set-top box device functionalities; anyother device adapted to receive IPTV content and transmit data to anIPTV system via an access network; or any combination thereof.

In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, each set-top box device316, 324 can receive data, video, or any combination thereof, from theclient-facing tier 302 via the access network 366 and render or displaythe data, video, or any combination thereof, at the display device 318,326 to which it is coupled. In an illustrative embodiment, the set-topbox devices 316, 324 can include tuners that receive and decodetelevision programming signals or packet streams for transmission to thedisplay devices 318, 326. Further, the set-top box devices 316, 324 caneach include a STB processor 370 and a STB memory device 372 that isaccessible to the STB processor 370. In one embodiment, a computerprogram, such as the STB computer program 374, can be embedded withinthe STB memory device 372.

In an illustrative embodiment, the client-facing tier 302 can include aclient-facing tier (CFT) switch 330 that manages communication betweenthe client-facing tier 302 and the access network 366 and between theclient-facing tier 302 and the private network 310. As illustrated, theCFT switch 330 is coupled to one or more distribution servers, such asDistribution-servers (D-servers) 332, that store, format, encode,replicate, or otherwise manipulate or prepare video content forcommunication from the client-facing tier 302 to the set-top box devices316, 324. The CFT switch 330 can also be coupled to a terminal server334 that provides terminal devices with a point of connection to theIPTV system 300 via the client-facing tier 302.

In a particular embodiment, the CFT switch 330 can be coupled to a VoDserver 336 that stores or provides VoD content imported by the IPTVsystem 300. Further, the CFT switch 330 is coupled to one or more videoservers 380 that receive video content and transmit the content to theset-top boxes 316, 324 via the access network 366. The client-facingtier 302 may include a CPE management server 382 that managescommunications to and from the CPE 314 and the CPE 322. For example, theCPE management server 382 may collect performance data associated withthe set-top box devices 316, 324 from the CPE 314 or the CPE 322 andforward the collected performance data to a server associated with theoperations and management tier 308.

In an illustrative embodiment, the client-facing tier 302 cancommunicate with a large number of set-top boxes, such as therepresentative set-top boxes 316, 324, over a wide geographic area, suchas a metropolitan area, a viewing area, a statewide area, a regionalarea, a nationwide area or any other suitable geographic area, marketarea, or subscriber or customer group that can be supported bynetworking the client-facing tier 302 to numerous set-top box devices.In a particular embodiment, the CFT switch 330, or any portion thereof,can include a multicast router or switch that communicates with multipleset-top box devices via a multicast-enabled network.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the application tier 304 can communicate withboth the private network 310 and the public network 312. The applicationtier 304 can include a first application tier (APP) switch 338 and asecond APP switch 340. In a particular embodiment, the first APP switch338 can be coupled to the second APP switch 340. The first APP switch338 can be coupled to an application server 342 and to an OSS/BSSgateway 344. In a particular embodiment, the application server 342 canprovide applications to the set-top box devices 316, 324 via the accessnetwork 366, which enable the set-top box devices 316, 324 to providefunctions, such as interactive program guides, video gaming, display,messaging, processing of VoD material and other IPTV content, etc. In anillustrative embodiment, the application server 342 can provide locationinformation to the set-top box devices 316, 324. In a particularembodiment, the OSS/BSS gateway 344 includes operation systems andsupport (OSS) data, as well as billing systems and support (BSS) data.In one embodiment, the OSS/BSS gateway 344 can provide or restrictaccess to an OSS/BSS server 364 that stores operations and billingsystems data.

The second APP switch 340 can be coupled to a domain controller 346 thatprovides Internet access, for example, to users at their computers 368via the public network 312. For example, the domain controller 346 canprovide remote Internet access to IPTV account information, e-mail,personalized Internet services, or other online services via the publicnetwork 312. In addition, the second APP switch 340 can be coupled to asubscriber and system store 348 that includes account information, suchas account information that is associated with users who access the IPTVsystem 300 via the private network 310 or the public network 312. In anillustrative embodiment, the subscriber and system store 348 can storesubscriber or customer data and create subscriber or customer profilesthat are associated with IP addresses, stock-keeping unit (SKU) numbers,other identifiers, or any combination thereof, of corresponding set-topbox devices 316, 324. In another illustrative embodiment, the subscriberand system store can store data associated with capabilities of set-topbox devices associated with particular customers.

In a particular embodiment, the application tier 304 can include aclient gateway 350 that communicates data directly to the client-facingtier 302. In this embodiment, the client gateway 350 can be coupleddirectly to the CFT switch 330. The client gateway 350 can provide useraccess to the private network 310 and the tiers coupled thereto. In anillustrative embodiment, the set-top box devices 316, 324 can access theIPTV system 300 via the access network 366, using information receivedfrom the client gateway 350. User devices can access the client gateway350 via the access network 366, and the client gateway 350 can allowsuch devices to access the private network 310 once the devices areauthenticated or verified. Similarly, the client gateway 350 can preventunauthorized devices, such as hacker computers or stolen set-top boxdevices from accessing the private network 310, by denying access tothese devices beyond the access network 366.

For example, when the first representative set-top box device 316accesses the client-facing tier 302 via the access network 366, theclient gateway 350 can verify subscriber information by communicatingwith the subscriber and system store 348 via the private network 310.Further, the client gateway 350 can verify billing information andstatus by communicating with the OSS/BSS gateway 344 via the privatenetwork 310. In one embodiment, the OSS/BSS gateway 344 can transmit aquery via the public network 312 to the OSS/BSS server 364. After theclient gateway 350 confirms subscriber and/or billing information, theclient gateway 350 can allow the set-top box device 316 to access IPTVcontent and VoD content at the client-facing tier 302. If the clientgateway 350 cannot verify subscriber information for the set-top boxdevice 316, because it is connected to an unauthorized twisted pair, theclient gateway 350 can block transmissions to and from the set-top boxdevice 316 beyond the access network 366.

As indicated in FIG. 3, the acquisition tier 306 includes an acquisitiontier (AQT) switch 352 that communicates with the private network 310.The AQT switch 352 can also communicate with the operations andmanagement tier 308 via the public network 312. In a particularembodiment, the AQT switch 352 can be coupled to one or more liveAcquisition-servers (A-servers) 354 that receive or acquire televisioncontent, movie content, advertisement content, other video content, orany combination thereof, from a broadcast service 356, such as asatellite acquisition system or satellite head-end office. In aparticular embodiment, the live acquisition server 354 can transmitcontent to the AQT switch 352, and the AQT switch 352 can transmit thecontent to the CFT switch 330 via the private network 310.

In an illustrative embodiment, content can be transmitted to theD-servers 332, where it can be encoded, formatted, stored, replicated,or otherwise manipulated and prepared for communication from the videoserver(s) 380 to the set-top box devices 316, 324. The CFT switch 330can receive content from the video server(s) 380 and communicate thecontent to the CPE 314, 322 via the access network 366. The set-top boxdevices 316, 324 can receive the content via the CPE 314, 322, and cantransmit the content to the television monitors 318, 326. In anillustrative embodiment, video or audio portions of the content can bestreamed to the set-top box devices 316, 324.

Further, the AQT switch 352 can be coupled to a video-on-demand importerserver 358 that receives and stores television or movie content receivedat the acquisition tier 306 and communicates the stored content to theVoD server 336 at the client-facing tier 302 via the private network310. Additionally, at the acquisition tier 306, the VoD importer server358 can receive content from one or more VoD sources outside the IPTVsystem 300, such as movie studios and programmers of non-live content.The VoD importer server 358 can transmit the VoD content to the AQTswitch 352, and the AQT switch 352, in turn, can communicate thematerial to the CFT switch 330 via the private network 310. The VoDcontent can be stored at one or more servers, such as the VoD server336.

When users issue requests for VoD content via the set-top box devices316, 324, the requests can be transmitted over the access network 366 tothe VoD server 336, via the CFT switch 330. Upon receiving suchrequests, the VoD server 336 can retrieve the requested VoD content andtransmit the content to the set-top box devices 316, 324 across theaccess network 366, via the CFT switch 330. The set-top box devices 316,324 can transmit the VoD content to the television monitors 318, 326. Inan illustrative embodiment, video or audio portions of VoD content canbe streamed to the set-top box devices 316, 324.

FIG. 3 further illustrates that the operations and management tier 308can include an operations and management tier (OMT) switch 360 thatconducts communication between the operations and management tier 308and the public network 312. In the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 3, theOMT switch 360 is coupled to a TV2 server 362. Additionally, the OMTswitch 360 can be coupled to an OSS/BSS server 364 and to a simplenetwork management protocol monitor 386 that monitors network deviceswithin or coupled to the IPTV system 300. In a particular embodiment,the OMT switch 360 can communicate with the AQT switch 352 via thepublic network 312.

The OSS/BSS server 364 may include a cluster of servers, such as one ormore CPE data collection servers that are adapted to request and storeoperations systems data, such as performance data from the set-top boxdevices 316, 324. In an illustrative embodiment, the CPE data collectionservers may be adapted to analyze performance data to identify acondition of a physical component of a network path associated with aset-top box device, to predict a condition of a physical component of anetwork path associated with a set-top box device, or any combinationthereof.

In an illustrative embodiment, the live acquisition server 354 cantransmit content to the AQT switch 352, and the AQT switch 352, in turn,can transmit the content to the OMT switch 360 via the public network312. In this embodiment, the OMT switch 360 can transmit the content tothe TV2 server 362 for display to users accessing the user interface atthe TV2 server 362. For example, a user can access the TV2 server 362using a personal computer 368 coupled to the public network 312.

It should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from theforegoing media communication system embodiments that other suitablemedia communication systems for distributing broadcast media content aswell as peer-to-peer exchange of content can be applied to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 400employing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture.Communication system 400 can be overlaid or operably coupled withcommunication systems 100-300 as another representative embodiment ofsaid communication systems.

The communication system 400 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)440, a tElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) server 430, and network elementsof an IMS network 450. The IMS network 450 can be coupled to IMScompliant communication devices (CD) 401, 402 or a Public SwitchedTelephone Network (PSTN) CD 403 using a Media Gateway Control Function(MGCF) 420 that connects the call through a common PSTN network 460.

IMS CDs 401, 402 register with the IMS network 450 by contacting a ProxyCall Session Control Function (P-CSCF) which communicates with acorresponding Serving CSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with anAuthentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) supported by the HSS440. To accomplish a communication session between CDs, an originatingIMS CD 401 can submit a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP INVITE) messageto an originating P-CSCF 404 which communicates with a correspondingoriginating S-CSCF 406. The originating S-CSCF 406 can submit the SIPINVITE message to an application server (AS) such as reference 410 thatcan provide a variety of services to IMS subscribers. For example, theapplication server 410 can be used to perform originating treatmentfunctions on the calling party number received by the originating S-CSCF406 in the SIP INVITE message.

Originating treatment functions can include determining whether thecalling party number has international calling services, and/or isrequesting special telephony features (such as *72 forward calls, *73cancel call forwarding, *67 for caller ID blocking, and so on).Additionally, the originating S-CSCF 406 can submit queries to the ENUMsystem 430 to translate an E.164 telephone number to a SIP UniformResource Identifier (URI) if the targeted communication device is IMScompliant. If the targeted communication device is a PSTN device, theENUM system 430 will respond with an unsuccessful address resolution andthe S-CSCF 406 will forward the call to the MGCF 420 via a BreakoutGateway Control Function (BGCF) 419.

When the ENUM server 430 returns a SIP URI, the SIP URI is used by anInterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 407 to submit a query to the HSS 440 toidentify a terminating S-CSCF 414 associated with a terminating IMS CDsuch as reference 402. Once identified, the I-CSCF 407 can submit theSIP INVITE to the terminating S-CSCF 414 which can call on anapplication server 411 similar to reference 410 to perform theoriginating treatment telephony functions described earlier. Theterminating S-CSCF 414 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 416associated with the terminating CD 402. The P-CSCF 416 then signals theCD 402 to establish communications. The aforementioned process issymmetrical. Accordingly, the terms “originating” and “terminating” inFIG. 4 can be interchanged.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal 530. The portal530 can be used for managing services of communication systems 100-400.The portal 530 can be accessed by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) witha common Internet browser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer using anInternet-capable communication device such as references 108, 116, or210 of FIGS. 1-2. The portal 530 can be configured to access a mediaprocessor such as references 106, 204, 206, 316, and 324 of FIGS. 1-3and services managed thereby such as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), anElectronic Programming Guide (EPG), VoD catalog, a personal catalog(such as personal videos, pictures, audio recordings, etc.) stored inthe STB, a personal computer or server in a user's home or office, andso on.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication device 600.Communication device 600 can be a representative portion of any of theaforementioned communication devices of FIGS. 1-4. The communicationdevice 604 can comprise a wireline and/or wireless transceiver 602(herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, a power supply 614,a location receiver 616, and a controller 606 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as a Bluetooth wireless accessprotocol, a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) access protocol, a Digital EnhancedCordless Telecommunications (DECT) wireless access protocol, cellular,software defined radio (SDR) and/or WiMAX technologies, just to mentiona few. Cellular technologies can include, for example, CDMA-IX,UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, and next generation technologiesas they arise.

The transceiver 602 can also support common wireline access technologiessuch as circuit-switched wireline access technologies, packet-switchedwireline access technologies, or combinations thereof. PSTN canrepresent one of the common circuit-switched wireline accesstechnologies. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and IP datacommunications can represent some of the commonly availablepacket-switched wireline access technologies. The transceiver 602 canalso be adapted to support IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) protocol forinterfacing to an IMS network that can combine PSTN and VoIPcommunication technologies.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 and anavigation mechanism such as a roller ball, joystick, mouse, and/ornavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 600 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wiring interface (such as a USB) or a wirelessinterface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 608 can representa numeric dialing keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a Qwerty keypadwith alphanumeric keys.

The UI 604 can further include a display 610 such as monochrome or colorLCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) orother suitable display technology for conveying images to the end userof the communication device 600. In an embodiment where the display 610is touch-sensitive, a portion or all of the keypad 608 can be presentedby way of the display. The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612that utilizes common audio technology for conveying low volume audio(such as audio heard only in the proximity of a human ear) and highvolume audio (such as speakerphone for hands free operation). The audiosystem 612 can further include a microphone for receiving audiblesignals of an end user.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 600 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. In one embodiment, the device 600can be a battery-operated mobile multi-mode device. The locationreceiver 616 utilize common location technology such as a globalpositioning system (GPS) receiver for identifying a location of thecommunication device 100, thereby facilitating common location servicessuch as navigation. The controller 606 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor and/or digital signal processor(DSP) with associated storage memory such a Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAMor other storage technologies.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication system 700 fordelivering media content to CPE equipment, such as a residence 740having a residential gateway or other access device. The communicationsystem 700 can represent an IPTV broadcast media system. Communicationsystem 700 can be overlaid or operably coupled with communicationsystems 100-400 as another representative embodiment of saidcommunication systems.

System 700 can include a network 705 for delivery of the media contentbetween the provider equipment (such as located at the video headoffice) and the customer's equipment such as the gateway located at theresidence 740. A number of network devices, including an Ethernet Switch710 coupled to a DSLAM 720 by way of a fiber optic coupling 730, can beutilized for transporting the signals along the network 705. The network705 can utilize a number of connection structures for providing acommunication link between the network devices, including twisted pairlines, fiber lines and/or wireless connections. For example, the fiberoptic couplings can include one GigE and ten GigE links connected to afiber optic ring 750, such as a reconfigurable optical add-dropmultiplexer (ROADM), which provide media services to the residence 740via the VHO. The fiber optic couplings can include multi-strand fiberoptic cables.

System 700 can include a network management system 750 operablyconnected to the network 705 and in communication with one or more ofthe network devices therein. The management system 750 or portionsthereof can be in communication with portions of the network 705 by wayof wired and/or wireless links. The management system 750 can include atrouble monitoring module, an alarm management module 760, a topologydatabase 765, a ticketing module 770, and a notification workcenter 775.

The network management system 750, each of the modules 755, 760 and 770,the workcenter 775 and the database 765 can be in communication witheach other in order to perform a number of functions, including creatingtickets or other indicia based on either or both of a system detected orcustomer reported trouble or failure; detecting an IPTV service outagesuch as through alarm collection such as through hierarchical cablerelationships; correlation of the alarms and tickets to determine rootcause events, such as due to either a Gigabit Ethernet Circuit orfailure of a DSLAM. Other functions can also be carried out includingverification of a 10 GigE line cards/ports to check local connectivityand configuration; performing layer 1 testing to verify physicalstability of the network circuit; checking error free operation of the10 GigE circuit, such as testing whether the throughput does not exceedthe bandwidth specified in the traffic contract; and/or autonotification to appropriate work centers for processing, such as specialhandling repairs or reporting trouble status to the customer.

It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that thevarious components of system 700 can be separate components or one ormore of these components can be incorporated together. Various networkdevices can provide alarms to module 760, including IPTV access devices,DSLAM's, Ethernet switches, routers, and/or SONET rings (such as networkarchitecture with two or more transmission paths between network nodes,such as digital cross-connects or add/drop multiplexers). It should befurther understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that otherconfigurations for communication between the management system 750 andthe network 705 are also contemplated including a decentralized systemand/or a master-slave arrangement between intermediary communicationdevices coupling the network 705 with the management system 750. One ormore of the components of the management system 750 can also be inwireless communication with the network 705.

In one embodiment of system 700, the management system 750 can generatea cable down notification on one GigE circuit. The notification can beenriched with topology information, such as the cable name and/orcircuit id from the topology database 765. In another embodiment, thetopology database 765 can be utilized for monitoring the dynamic natureof the network topology, such as through retrieving topology databasefrom each of the network elements at various time frames, including atthe time of going on-line or in anticipation of going off-line. Aweb-services interface can be utilized by the system 750 to determine ifan open media ticket exists, such as in module 755. If an open mediaticket does exist, then system 750 can generate an information onlyticket with a notification that the failure is part of a higher levelfailure. If no media ticket exists then the management system 750 cangenerate a DSLAM down ticket.

System 700 can provide for auto alarm collection and network connectionfor detecting a service outage; automated decision rules to determineroot cause events; auto testing for trouble isolation; routing toappropriate work center for special handling/resolution; and/or autonotification to a customer. Rule management can be applied to providefor cross-correlation with the Ethernet Switch 710 and/or the DSLAMsingle/multiple port pair resulting in a root cause analysis anddetermination.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication system 800 fordelivering media content to CPE equipment, such as a residence 840having a residential gateway or other access device. The communicationsystem 800 can represent an IPTV broadcast media system. Communicationsystem 800 can be overlaid or operably coupled with communicationsystems 100-400 as another representative embodiment of saidcommunication systems.

System 800 can include a network 805 for delivery of the media contentbetween the provider equipment (such as located at the video headoffice) and the customer's equipment such as the gateway located at theresidence 840. A number of network devices, including an Ethernet Switch810 coupled to a DSLAM 820 by way of a one GiGE fiber optic coupling830, can be utilized for transporting the signals along the network 805.The network 805 can utilize a number of connection structures forproviding a communication link between the network devices, includingtwisted pair lines, fiber lines and/or wireless connections.

System 800 can include a network management system (NMS) 850 operablyconnected to the network 805 and in communication with one or more ofthe network devices therein. In one embodiment, the system 850 cancorrelate DSLAM and Ethernet Switch 1G port alarms and additional alarmsmonitored by, or otherwise known to, the system 850. For example, thesystem can monitor for a Physical Port::Down event from the DSLAM in theDSL Manager domain and Port::Down and Interface::Down events from the IPAM domain. The system 850 can correlate these symptoms and providenotice, such as through Cable::Down. In one embodiment, a managementserver can correlate that Cable::Down in a particular domain has causedthe Port::Down and Interface::Down events in the IP AM domain andPhysical Port::Down in the DSL domain. The management system 850 canalso provide notice that the network connection in the particular domainhas been impacted.

In another embodiment, the system 850 can determine a possible rootcause due to a fiber cut if both alarm conditions are indicating as portdown. The system 850 can then transmit a root cause code based on thedetermination. Alarm auto-verification can then be performed based onreceipt of the notification and initiation of auto-ticket can also beperformed. A ticketing module or the like can initiate automaticdispatch based on the received information.

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary method 900 operating in portions of thecommunication systems 100, 200, 300, 400, 700 and/or 800. Method 900 hasvariants as depicted by the dashed lines. It would be apparent to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments notdepicted in FIG. 9 are possible without departing from the scope of theclaims described below.

Method 900 can begin with step 902 in which the NMS 850 monitors foralarms from Ethernet Switches and DSLAM's located between a fiber ringand CPE. In one embodiment, the NMS 850 can monitor for other alarmsassociated with the network, including alarms associated withhierarchical cables. The monitoring can be performed for layer one(physical layer), layer two (data link layer) and/or layer three(network layer) of the network.

The NMS 850 can determine if the alarms associated with the Ethernetswitch and the DSLAM are port down alarms in step 904. If these are notport down alarms, then method 900 can proceed to step 906 for generatingtickets associated with these alarms. If these are port down alarms thenin step 908, the NMS 850 can generate a cable failure notification. Inone embodiment in step 910, the NMS 850 can retrieve current topologyinformation for the network, such as stored in the topology database765. In this embodiment, the dynamic architecture of the network can beaccounted for by monitoring for and storing current topology data. Themonitoring can be performed in a number of ways. For instance, queriescan be performed on one or more of the network devices. As anotherexample, the network devices can send via wireless and/or wired linksperformance data or other information, including alarm signals to theNMS 850. The transmission of the performance data can be in response toa query or based on other criteria, including undesired conditions,scheduled information exchanges and so forth.

In step 912, the NMS 850 can monitor network elements of thehierarchical structure associated with the particular down cable todetermine any associated alarms and/or failures. In step 914, the NMS850 can determine if other strands of the fiber sheath are in failurebased on the monitored hierarchical structure. If other strands of thesheath have not failed then NMS 850 can proceed to step 906 forgeneration of tickets. If on the other hand other strands of the sheathhave failed then method 900 can proceed to step 916 where a repairpersonnel can be dispatched based on a fiber cut.

From the foregoing descriptions, it would be evident to an artisan withordinary skill in the art that the aforementioned embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, other information canbe utilized to determine the type of service failure and/or isolate thefailure in addition to or in place of the alarms, tickets and/or networktopology. For instance, the network devices can forward connectivityand/or telemetry data to the management system 850, such as withoutrequiring a query from the management system. In another embodiment, thesystem 850 can perform remote testing to validate the fiber cutverification, such as testing on one or both of the access devices (suchas the DSLAM and Ethernet Switch).

These are but a few examples of the modifications that can be applied tothe present disclosure without departing from the scope of the claims.Accordingly, the reader is directed to the claims for a fullerunderstanding of the breadth and scope of the present disclosure.

Other suitable modifications can be applied to the present disclosurewithout departing from the scope of the claims below. Accordingly, thereader is directed to the claims section for a fuller understanding ofthe breadth and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 depicts an illustrative diagrammatic representation of a machinein the form of a computer system 1000 within which a set ofinstructions, when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one ormore of the methodologies discussed above. In some embodiments, themachine operates as a standalone device. In some embodiments, themachine may be connected (using a network) to other machines. In anetworked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of aserver or a client user machine in server-client user networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly anyelectronic device that provides voice, video or data communication.Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 1000 may include a processor 1002 (such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), amain memory 1004 and a static memory 1006, which communicate with eachother via a bus 1008. The computer system 1000 may further include avideo display unit 1010 (such as a liquid crystal display (LCD)), a flatpanel, a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computersystem 1000 may include an input device 1012 (such as a keyboard), acursor control device 1014 (such as a mouse), a disk drive unit 1016, asignal generation device 1018 (such as a speaker or remote control) anda network interface device 1020.

The disk drive unit 1016 may include a computer-readable medium 1022 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (such as software 1024)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 1024may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 1004, the static memory 1006, and/or within the processor 1002during execution thereof by the computer system 1000. The main memory1004 and the processor 1002 also may constitute computer-readable media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containinginstructions 1024, or that which receives and executes instructions 1024from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a networkenvironment 1026 can send or receive voice, video or data, and tocommunicate over the network 1026 using the instructions 1024. Theinstructions 1024 may further be transmitted or received over a network1026 via the network interface device 1020.

While the computer-readable medium 1022 is shown in an exampleembodiment to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium”should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (such as acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any mediumthat is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructionsfor execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform anyone or more of the methodologies of the present disclosure.

The term “computer-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memorycard or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape;and/or a digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives is considered a distributionmedium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of acomputer-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (such as TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.§1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separately claimed subject matter.

1. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructionsfor: monitoring first and second access devices of an Internet ProtocolTelevision (IPTV) network for an alarm, the first and second accessdevices being connected to each other by a fiber optic strand of amulti-strand conduit, the first and second access devices being capableof transmitting media content received from a fiber optic ring to a settop box of a user; identifying hierarchical cable relationshipsassociated with the multi-strand conduit and the fiber optic ring;monitoring network elements of the IPTV network that are associated withthe hierarchical cable relationships for other alarms; determining afailure of other fiber optic strands of the multi-strand conduit basedon the monitored network elements; and determining a fiber cut of thefiber optic strand based at least in part on the alarm of the monitoredfirst and second access devices and the determined failure of the otherfiber optic strands.
 2. The storage medium of claim 1, comprisingcomputer instructions for determining the fiber cut of the fiber opticstrand based in part on the alarm being a port down event at both of thefirst and second access devices.
 3. The storage medium of claim 1,comprising computer instructions for transmitting a notification of thefiber cut to a repair center.
 4. The storage medium of claim 1,comprising computer instructions for transmitting a notification of thefiber cut to the user.
 5. The storage medium of claim 1, comprisingcomputer instructions for monitoring the network elements of the IPTVnetwork that are associated with the hierarchical cable relationships byobtaining a plurality of alarm signals from a physical layer, a datalink layer and a network layer that are associated with one or moreundesired conditions of the IPTV network.
 6. The storage medium of claim1, comprising computer instructions for: updating topology informationassociated with the network devices in the IPTV network; and identifyingthe hierarchical cable relationships associated with the fiber opticstrand and the fiber optic ring based on the updated topologyinformation.
 7. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first accessdevice is a digital subscriber line access multiplexer and the secondaccess device is an Ethernet switch.
 8. The storage medium of claim 1,comprising computer instructions for performing remote testing of atleast one of the first and second access devices to validate the fibercut determination.
 9. A server comprising a controller to: monitor adigital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) and an Ethernetswitch of a communications network for an alarm, the DSLAM and theEthernet switch being connected to each other by a fiber optic strand ofa multi-strand conduit, the DSLAM and the Ethernet switch being capableof transmitting media content to a set top box of a user; identifyhierarchical cable relationships associated with the multi-strandconduit; monitor network elements of the communications network that areassociated with the hierarchical cable relationships for other alarms;and determine a fiber cut in the fiber optic strand based at least inpart on the alarm of the monitored DSLAM and Ethernet switch and theother alarms of the monitored network elements.
 10. The server of claim9, wherein the controller is adapted to determine the fiber cut of thefiber optic strand based in part on the alarm being a port down event atboth of the DSLAM and the Ethernet switch.
 11. The server of claim 10,wherein the controller is adapted to determine a failure of other fiberoptic strands of the multi-strand conduit based on the monitored networkelements.
 12. The server of claim 9, wherein the controller is adaptedto perform remote testing of at least one of the DSLAM and the Ethernetswitch to validate the fiber cut determination.
 13. The server of claim9, wherein the controller is adapted to monitor the network elements ofthe communications network that are associated with the hierarchicalcable relationships by obtaining a plurality of alarm signals from aphysical layer, a data link layer and a network layer that areassociated with one or more undesired conditions of the communicationsnetwork.
 14. A server comprising a controller to: monitor first andsecond access devices of a communications network for an alarm, thefirst and second access devices being connected to each other by a fiberoptic strand of a multi-strand conduit, the first and second accessdevices being capable of transmitting media content received from afiber ring to a communications device of a user; identify hierarchicalcable relationships associated with the multi-strand conduit and thefiber ring; monitor network elements of the communications network thatare associated with the hierarchical cable relationships for otheralarms; and determine a fiber cut in the fiber optic strand based atleast in part on the alarm of the monitored first and second accessdevices and the other alarms of the monitored network elements.
 15. Theserver of claim 14, wherein the controller is adapted to monitor thenetwork elements of the communications network that are associated withthe hierarchical cable relationships by obtaining a plurality of alarmsignals from a physical layer, a data link layer and a network layerthat are associated with one or more undesired conditions of thecommunications network.
 16. The server of claim 14, wherein thecontroller is adapted to perform remote testing of at least one of thefirst and second access devices to validate the fiber cut determination.17. The server of claim 14, wherein the controller is adapted todetermine a failure of other fiber optic strands of the multi-strandconduit based on the monitored network elements.
 18. The server of claim17, wherein the controller is adapted to determine the fiber cut of thefiber optic strand based in part on the alarm being a port down event atboth of the first and second access devices.
 19. The server of claim 17,wherein the controller is adapted to perform at least one oftransmitting a notification of the fiber cut to a repair center andtransmitting a notification of the fiber cut to the user.
 20. A servercomprising a controller to: monitor first and second access devices of acommunications network for an alarm, the first and second access devicesbeing connected to each other by a fiber optic cable, the first andsecond access devices being capable of transmitting media content to acommunications device of a user; identify hierarchical cablerelationships associated with the fiber optic cable; monitor networkelements of the communications network that are associated with thehierarchical cable relationships for other alarms; and determine a fibercut of the fiber optic cable based at least in part on the alarm of themonitored first and second access devices and the other alarms of themonitored network elements.
 21. The server of claim 20, wherein thecontroller is adapted to determine a failure of other fiber optic cablesa multi-strand conduit including the fiber optic cable, the determinedfailure of the other fiber optic cables being based on the monitorednetwork elements.
 22. A method, comprising: monitoring first and secondaccess devices of a communications network for an alarm, the first andsecond access devices being connected to each other by a fiber opticstrand of a multi-strand conduit, the first and second access devicesbeing capable of transmitting media content received from a fiber opticring to a communications device of a user; identifying hierarchicalcable relationships associated with the multi-strand conduit and thefiber optic ring; monitoring network elements of the communicationsnetwork that are associated with the hierarchical cable relationshipsfor other alarms; and determining a fiber cut of the fiber optic strandbased at least in part on the alarm of the monitored first and secondaccess devices and the other alarms of the monitored network elements.23. The method of claim 22, comprising determining a failure of otherfiber optic strands of the multi-strand conduit based on the monitorednetwork elements.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the first accessdevice is a digital subscriber line access multiplexer and the secondaccess device is an Ethernet switch.
 25. The method of claim 22,comprising determining the fiber cut of the fiber optic strand based inpart on the alarm being a port down event at both of the first andsecond access devices.